Assistance
by TyyTyy
Summary: When things become a little overwhelming for Sakura’s business, she decides to hire some help. Her new employee, Sasuke, has a way of intriguing her in more ways than one.


Assistance

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There was nothing quite like a good read. New, exquisite stories that could leave you feeling liberated and make you fall in love with each and every word. Haruno Sakura has always had a love of books, she loved reading, the creativity that new and experienced authors showcased through their imaginative story making. Aspiring to help writers get their work published and shared with people all over the world led Sakura to open her own literary agency, and this had been her life for the past several years.

Originally, Sakura worked by herself and she did well, but overtime more and more writers demanded attention and she realized she would have to hire some help because at this point, she couldn't read all the queries being sent to her and respond in a timely manner. Because of this, Sakura decided to hire a new agent, but her desire to help those new to the industry had her seeking someone with a fresh mind and a will to do justice to the constant new writers seeking representation.

The interviewing process was not her favorite thing in the world. It was difficult, because her kindness made it hard to turn anyone down. However, if they didn't fit what she was looking for she was left with no choice. Many people applied for the job, many people did not tickle her fancy and then newly graduated Uchiha Sasuke walked into her office for his interview.

Now, Sakura wasn't one to judge a person by looks alone, so the sharp dressed and extremely good looking young man did not have her swooning and thinking 'he's the one' but there was something about his demeanor that impressed her. Though it wasn't until the actual interview began that she realized he was the one, even before it was halfway finished.

Having never done more than a short internship during his last year of college, Sasuke was inexperienced, but his knowledge of the publishing world really was astounding. He had a passion for books, was familiar with a wide variety of authors, including many that Sakura herself had helped find their way into the world of being a published author.

He came prepared, showing her printed documents that he himself had edited and giving her a detailed synopsis on any short story she had him read over. He was good, he had a keen eye and was wise beyond his years. There were too many reasons for Sakura to hire him, so she told him he had the job by the end of his interview.

The very next day, he started as her assistant. He was an extra set of eyes and a pair of hands that she desperately needed and he didn't mind pulling long hours right along with her. He was quiet unless they were discussing a book and he managed to take on half of the queries sent to her, making it so that they were able to get back to people much sooner than before and she was busier than ever.

Sasuke was a huge help and he was thoughtful, fetching her coffee and lunch without her asking and always happy to take as much of her workload onto himself that she would allow. Hiring him had been the smartest thing she ever did and she told him as often as possible just how grateful she was for his help. He was reading and making decisions that were right on par with hers, keeping them in agreement on all things at all times, but Sakura knew Sasuke wanted more.

When they'd nearly caught themselves up on queries, Sakura decided to offer him something more along the lines of what he wanted to do, which was editing. He was sitting at his own desk in her office, typing up a rejection letter when she rolled her chair closer to him and caught his attention. He stopped his typing and looked over at her, obsidian eyes curious.

"Is something the matter?" He asked thoughtfully at the strange look on her face.

"No." She smiled. "I was just thinking about changing things up a bit."

Sasuke watched her cross her legs, the grey pencil skirt she wore showing off the curve of her thighs in a way he found hard to ignore, not that he would ever admit it. "Oh?" He voiced, urging her to go on with a raised brow.

"Well, you've been such a big help to me and now that I have time to keep up with things better, I thought it would be a good idea to promote you."

"Promote?" He repeated in subdued surprise, turning his chair away from his desk to face her directly.

Sakura nodded, her bright smile showing off her perfect white teeth. "I've only had you going over the query letters thus far, but what do you think of stepping it up a notch? How would you like to start reading over some manuscripts as well?"

"Really?" Sasuke's surprise was much more evident now. "I'd like that."

"Also," Sakura giggled, heart warming at the fact that for the first time since she'd hired him, Sasuke smiled. "I'd like you to start representing authors on your own."

"What?" His face fell then, a look of unease crossing his features. "I don't have the experience for that."

"Don't look so worried!" Sakura mused. "I'm not going to just throw you out there, I'll help you."

His reluctance was amusing, because Sakura knew how badly he wanted this and she found it cute that he was so concerned about it. There was no need for him to be, Sakura was nothing but excited about helping him learn more and do more so long as he was willing—and he was.

One thing Sakura quickly learned about her young assistant was that he was a perfectionist. If things weren't going to his exact liking, he got irritated and while she did find it humorous, she also toned it down to help him calm down and move through it. He didn't want to have to come to her, though he did appreciate her guidance so Sakura often had to offer him her help, because Sasuke was so prideful that he didn't want to ask her for it.

Soon enough, Sasuke was working so late into night that Sakura had to scold him for it and he just told her that he couldn't help it—once he got invested into a good manuscript, he just couldn't put it down and Sakura related to that on a spiritual level. She let it go for a while, at least until she came in one morning to find him asleep at his desk.

Barely taking time to drop her belongings on her desk, Sakura walked over to him, glaring at his unruly hair with her hands on her hips. He was quite adorable, sleeping so soundly as he was. His features were softened and he looked peaceful enough that she didn't want to wake him, but there was no way she could let him sleep like that. Despite how at ease he looked, the slumped position couldn't be comfortable.

She leaned closer to him and sighed, her anger slipping away. "Sasuke," she called softly and he hummed in his sleep at hearing her voice. "Sasuke." She called again, this time louder and his eyes fluttered open, settling on her chest that was far too close to his face.

Cursing under his breath and ears burning, Sasuke sat up with a jolt and backed his chair away from her. The side of his face was red from where he'd been sleeping on it and there was a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth that had Sakura grinning. He was certainly a cute guy.

"Go home and get some proper rest." She told him softly though chidingly, unwilling to hear any argument on the matter.

Begrudgingly, Sasuke relented for the sake of his job but he returned to work after only a few hours claiming he'd slept more than enough. After a nap and a shower, he was looking refreshed so Sakura didn't complain. They both got lost in their work, sipping coffee and nibbling on snacks occasionally throughout the day.

Sasuke's current project was the first he had dealt with without Sakura's help. She was curious, but she didn't question him about it, too eager to see how things went in the end. He'd read the query letter himself, had the author send in the first few chapters and then the entire manuscript. He was still in the process of reading it over and it was only when he finished that he leaned back in his chair and tilted his head in her direction. Sakura caught the move and met his gaze with a smile, knowing he was finally going to give her his thoughts.

"Sakura… this is a masterpiece." He breathed. "The writing is exemplary and the story itself is absolutely brilliant. This guy really has something here."

"Then I assume you'll be offering him representation?"

Sasuke hesitated which made her chuckle. He was so good and yet didn't think he was good enough. She really had to work on getting him out of that.

"You have all the information you need and I'm right here if you need any help promoting it. But, you won't. You've got this."

Before long, Sasuke had managed to secure his first few authors and he was busy editing and pitching their works. He was really something and Sakura all too often for herself watching him in awe. What was her biggest dilemma was that not only was Sasuke her employee, but he was four years her junior and yet she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. Not only for his looks, but for his reserved personality and his wisdom.

Sakura had a thing for Sasuke, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Once she acknowledged this feeling she had, he became more of a distraction to her. Her viridian eyes would drift over to him and watch him work, admiring how absorbed he was in his work. A guy like him really would be perfect for her, they were both passionate about books which gave them a lot to talk about, but it couldn't go further than that, surely. She just had to push her ridiculous urges aside and focus on her work.

This seemed as if would be something Sakura could accomplish, at least until Sasuke got an offer for the author he was so crazy about. It was bigger than any offer Sakura had ever secured for any author before and she takes aback at finding out about it and even more so by the excitement Sasuke showed over it. He was so enthusiastic and elated that he'd pulled her into a hug before either one of them saw it coming. It flustered Sakura, but Sasuke was unfazed, only pulling her back to grin at her in a way that had her heart stuttering.

"We're going out to celebrate!" He announced and she stared at him in uncertainty.

"We are?" She asked quietly, telling herself that he just wanted to maybe have a cup of coffee outside of the office or maybe even a casual dinner that was far from a date.

"Yes. Tonight." He nodded.

Just like that, Sakura was going out to celebrate with her coworker and she couldn't deny how excited she was about it. It had been a long time since she had anyone with mutual interests to talk to or spend time with, and while her time with Sasuke was work related, there was that part of her that hoped for more—even if she knew that it could never happen.

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**This will at least be a two shot, beyond that I have no idea. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. **


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